Sewing machine cover plate



May 11, 1943.

A. B. CLAYTON SEWING MACHINE COVER-PLATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept.12, 1941 4 Sum:

W Lmeom 3 May 11, 1943. A. B. CLAYTOYN SEWING MACHINE COVER-PLATE FiledSept. 12, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3& 3 3? 22 Patented May 11, 1943 UNiTESTATES rice Singer Manufacturing Company,

Elizabeth,

N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application September 12, 1941, SerialNo. 410,521

8 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in cover-plates fora sewing machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine frame with oneor more coverplates equipped with substantially unitary latchingmechanisms of simple design which facilitate assembly of the machine.

A more specific object of the present inven tion is to provide a pair ofcover-plates having a common latching mechanism for a work-supportingarm of a sewing machine.

With the above and other objects in View, as will hereinafter appear,the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsof a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the severalfeatures of the invention. and the advantages attained thereby will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the machine.

' Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the work-supporting arm end-sectionshowing both coverplates in open positions.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the work-supporting arm end-section, thecover-plate being shown as closed in full lines and as open in brokenlines.

Fig. 4 is a right side view of work-supporting arm disclosed in Fig. 2and showing one of the cover-plates as closed in full lines and as openin broken lines.

Fig. 5 is a front end View of the work-supporting arm of Fig. 2illustrating both coverplates in open positions.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 6-6 of Fig.1, and showing the coverplates as closed in full lines and as open inbroken lines.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken substantially along line 'i---'! ofFig. 5 and showing portions of the cover-plates as open in broken lines,and the latching mechanism and cover-plate mounting means as closed infull lines.

Fig. 8 is a portion of a vertical section taken substantially along line8-8 of Fig. 4 and showing the latching mechanism in closed positions.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken along line 9-4) of Fig. 7.

The present invention is herein illustrated as employed on afeed-oil-the-arm sewing machine. 1

The machine frame includes the usual gooseneck l0 which terminates atits free end in the hollow head ll carrying the reciprocatory needle-barl2 and the presser-bar I3 fitted, respectively, with needles l4 andpresser-foot it. Both the needlebar l2 and the presser-bar i3 areactuated by the usual mechanisms, such as illustrated in my Patent No.1,996,040, dated Mar. 26, 1935. p

The gooseneck I!) is rigidly mounted upon a U-shaped bed 16 only a partof which is herein shown, and rearwardly extending from a portion ofthis bed is a hollow horizontal work-supporting arm ll terminating atits free end below the head H,

Mounted in the free end of the arm I! are the usual feeding and loopermechanisms as represented, respectively, by the feed-dogs l8 and theloopers I9. The feeding and looper actuating mechanisms are driven fromthe usual needle bar actuating shaft 29 by means. of the conventionalclip-belt (not shown) housed within the belt-casing 2i exteriorly of thesewing machine frame proper.

The free end of the hollow worksu porting arm I! is enclosed by means ofan end-wall 22, and mounted upon the top portion of the arm is aconventional throat-plate 23. Substantially oppositely disposedopenings, defined, respective ly, by the cut-away side walls 24 and 25,are provided in the arm IT for clearance or inspection openings throughwhich the loopers l9'may be properly threaded. These openings 2i and 25are closed during the normal sewing operations by means of cover-plates26 and 21, respectively. The end-wall 22 of the arm ll is provided witha pair of horizontally disposed grooves 28, each designed to receive aportion of a cover-plate so that the latter elements may be properlyrecessed within the openings, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6.

Horizontally disposed within the end wall 22- is a cylindrical aperture29 within which latch-' ing'mechanism is slidingly mounted. Thecoverplates 26 and 21 are mounted upon the outer ends of this mechanism.This latching mechanism comprises two coaxial cylindrical units orplungers 30 and 3| which are urged toward each other within the aperture29 by means of a coil-spring 32. Each of the units 30 and at is providedwith a central bore 33 extending lengthwise thereof, and an end of thespring 32 is anchored within each of said bores :33 by means of a pin 34mounted crosswise within each cylindrical unit.

Secured to the face of the end wall 22 by means of a screw 35 is an arm36 which is associated with the units 30 and 31 through the medium oftwo guide and stop elements 31' and 38, formed on the respectiveend-portions of the arm 36.

The guide and stop element 31 is received by a slot 39 formed in theunit 3! and, as the element 31 is stationary, it functions, as bestillustrated in Fig. 8, to keep the unit 3| from turning about itslongitudinal axis and permits it to slide lengthwise of itself. Theoutward movement of the unit 3| is arrested whenever the stop-element 3!engages the end-wall 40 of the slot 39.

The hinge-piece 4| is pivotally secured within the slot 39 by means of apin 42 mounted crosswise within the unit 3|. Formed on the outer end ofthe hinge-piece 4| is a rivet portion 43 which secures the cover-plate21 rigidly to the hinge-piece 4|. It may be understood therefore, fromthe above description, and by particular reference to Fig. 7, that thecover-plate 21 may be pulled outwardly until the stop 31 engages theend-wall 40, at which point the cover-plate may be swung about thevertically disposed pivot-pin 42. The hinge-piece 4| is arcuate in shapealong the edge 44 thereof to permit the piece to be properly pivoted. Asbest illustrated in Fig. 7, the pointed portion 45 of the hinge-pieceand the lip 46 of the cover-plate 21 function as stops which engagediametrically opposite points of the side walls of the aperture 29 tothereby lock the coverplate 21 in open position.

To lessen the cost of manufacture, a slot corresponding to slot 39 ofthe unit 3| was not provided in the other unit 30. In lieu of such aslot, shoulders 41 are formed on the unit 30 and, as

shown by Fig. 9, these shoulders 41 will engage the guide 38 and therebypermit the unit to turn only slightly about its longitudinal axis. Avertically disposed slot 48, however, is provided in the unit 30 for thepurpose of receiving the guide 38 and thereby permitting the unit to beturned about its longitudinal axis. However, as illustrated by thebroken lines of Fig. '7, the unit must first be shifted outwardly for thslot 48 to engage the guide 38. The outward movement of the unit 30 isarrested whenever the stop element 38 engages the end-wall 49 of theslot.

The outer end of the unit 30 is provided with a rivet portion whichrigidly secures the coverplate 26 thereto. From the above description itwill be understood that the cover-plate 26 may be shifted outwardly andthen shifted downwardly about the longitudinal axis of the unit 30. Thestop 38 will, while engaged by the slot 48, lock the cover-plate 26 inits outward position.

The cover-plates 26 and 2'! are each provided with a spring-arm 52secured to the inner face thereof for the purpose of engaging therespective side-walls 24 and of the arm I! to thereby cooperate with thecoil-spring 32 in yieldingly retaining the cover-plates in closedpositions. Slots 53 are formed in the cover-plates 26 and 21 to provideopenings through which lint and other foreign matter may escape from thehollow arm As best illustrated in Fig. 3, the lips 46, which are formedon th end-portions of the cover plates 26 and 21, extend forwardly pastthe face of the end-wall 22 and thereby function as fingerpieces, bymeans of which an operator may more readily grasp said plates formanipulating the same.

From the above description it will be obvious that either of the twocover-plates 26 or 21, with its respective plunger unit or 3|, could beomitted from the present machine without impairing the function oroperation of the remaining unit. The free end of the coil-spring 32would need only be secured to the machine arm l1 and the remainingcover-plate would function properly.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what I claim hereinis:

1. In a sewing machine, the combination of a hollow frame having aninspection opening therein and a cylindrical aperture adjacent saidinspection opening, a cylindrically shaped plunger shiftably mountedwithin said aperture, said plunger being provided with a longitudinallydisposed central bore and a slot formed in the outer surface of theplunger and disposed lengthwise thereof, a coil spring having one endsecured within said bore and the other end secured without said plungerso as to force the plunger into said aperture, a guide and stop elementcarried by said frame, said element engaging said slot for the purposeof preventing rotative movement and for limiting the shifting movementsof said plunger, a hinge-piece pivotally mounted upon the outer end ofsaid plunger, and a coverlate fixedly secured to said hinge-piece andadapted to normally cover said inspection opening.

2. Ina sewing machine, the combination of a hollow frame having aninspection opening therein and a cylindrical aperture adjacent saidinspection opening, a cylindrical shaped plunger shiftably mountedwithin said aperture, said plunger being provided with a longitudinallydisposed central bore and a slot formed in the outer surface of theplunger and disposed transversely of its longitudinal axis, a coilspring having one end secured within said bore and the other end securedwithout said plunger so as to force the plunger into said aperture, aguide and stop element carried by said frame, said element engaging saidslot for the purpose of guiding the rotative movements of said plungerand to lock the plunger in a predetermined position, shoulders formed onthe outer surface of said plunger for the purpose of engaging said guideand stop element so as to limit certain rotative movements of saidplunger, and a cover-plate rigidly secured upon the outer end of saidplunger and normally disposed over said inspection opening.

3. A hollow sewing machine frame having opposed inspection openingstherein and formed with a transverse aperture adjacent said inspectionopenings, a pair of spring connected plungers disposed end-to-end insaid aperture, and cover-plates for said inspection openings mountedeach on the outer end portion of a respective one of said plungers.

4. In a sewing machine, the combination of a work-supporting arm havinga pair of substantially oppositely opposed openings therein, latchingmechanism carried by said arm and including two separable coaxial units,spring means to urge said units towards each other, said units beingadapted to be shifted relative to each other lengthwise of their commonaxis in opposition to said spring means, means to prevent said separableunits from rotating about their common axis, stop elements secured tosaid arm and associated with said units for limiting the lengthwiseshifting movements thereof, means to lock said units in predeterminedpositions, and a pair of cover-plates each mounted on an outer end ofone of said separable units, each cover-plate being normally disposedover one of said arm openings.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination of a work-supporting arm havinga pair of substantially oppositely disposed inspection openings thereinand formed with a transverse aperture adjacent said inspection openings,a pair of spring connected plungers disposed end-to-end in said apertureand being adapted to be shifted lengthwise of and relative to eachother, stop and guiding elements secured to said arm and associated withsaid plungers for limiting the lengthwise shifting movements thereof,means to lock said plungers in predetermined positions, and a pair ofcover-plates each mounted on an outer end of one of said plungers, eachcoverplate being normally recessed within one of said inspectionopenings.

6. A hollow sewing machine work-supporting arm having opposed inspectionopenings adjacent its free end and formed with a transverse apertureadjacent said inspection openings, a pair of cylindrically shapedplungers disposed endto-end in said aperture and being adapted to beshifted lengthwise of and relative to each other, each of said plungershaving a longitudinally disposed central bore, a spring element one endof which is secured within a respective plunger bore, a pair of stop andguide elements secured to said arm and engaging said plungers for thepurpose of limiting and guiding the movements thereof, and a pair ofcover-plates each mounted on an outer end of one of said plungers, eachcover-plate being normally recessed within one of said inspectionopenings.

7. A hollow sewing machine frame having an inspection opening thereinand formed with a transverse cylindrical aperture adjacent saidinspection opening, a cylindrically shaped plunger shiftably mountedwithin said aperture and having a retracted and an extended position, aspring mounted within said aperture and engaging said plunger so as tourge the same into its retracted position, said plunger having a slotformed therein, a guide element carried by said frame and engaging saidslot for the purpose of limiting the movement of said plunger, acover-plate for said inspection opening mounted upon said plunger andnormally disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axisof said plunger, and latching means operable in response to a turningmovement of said coverplate for locking said plunger in its extendedposition.

8. A hollow sewing machine frame having an inspection opening thereinand formed with a transverse cylindrical aperture adjacent saidinspection opening, a cylindrically shaped plunger shiftably mountedwithin said aperture and having a retracted and an extended position, aspring mounted within said aperture and engaging said plunger so as tourge the same into its retracted position, said plunger having alongitudinal slot formed therein, a guide element carried by said frameand engaging said slot for the purpose of limiting the movement of saidplunger, a coverplate for said inspection opening hingedly mounted uponsaid plunger and normally disposed substantially at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of said plunger, a latching element carried by saidcover-plate for engaging said frame in response to a pivotal movement ofsaid cover-plate for the purpose of locking said plunger in its extendedposition.

ANDREW B. CLAYTON.

